Dauntless
by sorenalice
Summary: Purgatory, it's like the backside of your worst nightmares. It's all blood and bone and darkness. Filled with the bodies and souls of all things hungry, sharp, and nasty. Every soul there is a monster. It is where they come to prey upon each other for all eternity. And after a fire ripped a hole through his young life, Danny became the prey. GORE AND DEATH WARNING


Dauntless

Haha superphantom because why not. Completely unrelated to my other superphantom stuff, but here's Danny in purgatory. People may be a bit ooc at the beginning, but that's just because of reasons that you'll see when things start happening. Anyway, here's a warning for character death and gore and for the general, all around angst that comes along with 99% of all my fics. Enjoy and have a good day.

He was home alone when they came. Jazz was spending the rest of the day at the library and his parents were out hunting down a supposed haunting on the far side of town.

He wasn't expecting anything to happen, maybe a ghost attack or two, but those normally happened anyway. He sure wasn't expecting a molotov cocktail to come bursting through his livingroom window.

The furniture burned, catching the drapes and carpet on fire and spreading it through the house. The fire alarms went off and the lab sealed itself off, protecting the explosive research within it.

He grabbed his cell phone and dashed out of the house, calling his mother.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, they grabbed him. A cloth was shoved into his face mid sentence, a sickly sweet smell drifting into his nose and making the world seem far away. He struggled as much as he could, but someone he recognized as Paulina's dad was holding his arms behind his back, while held the cloth over his face. He felt himself being lifted into the air just as his consciousness began to fade. His vision blurred into black, and he was gone.

-X-

They brought him to the city jail. Throwing a ghost shield up around the cell he was in. They sent an announcement across the city. Radios, televisions, even drove his truck around with a megaphone. They all said the same thing; that the evil ghost boy that had been plaguing their town was captured and about to be disposed of. That the gross abomination that had been going to school with their children would be dead. That Danny Fenton was Danny Phantom, and that Amity Park would have the first public execution in many years.

He was to be burned at the stake at 8 pm in the Park.

Sam and Tucker were locked in their rooms by their parents, Sam in her basement so she couldn't get out through the window. Tucker was locked in his bathroom. Mr & Mrs Manson and Mr & Mrs Foley walked arm in arm to the park.

His parents were told and tried as hard as they could to talk to him, to ask him if it was true, to save their only son. But the people of Amity Park wouldn't let them anywhere near the jail.

Vlad Masters was apprehended trying to get Danny out. He was proven to be like the boy, a freakish obscenity, a stain on the human race, a half-ghost.

He would burn too.

-X-

Danny woke up at 7 pm, an hour before his execution. His brain pounded against his skull, making everything too loud and too bright. He slurred out a "Wha'ss?" and threw an arm over his eyes.

"Daniel, you're awake." The voice was cultured and familiar.

"Vlad? What's-"

"They know, Daniel."

His world stopped spinning. Breath hitching in his throat, sending a shiver down his spine. The full force of those three words made tears gather in his eyes, making them shine in the green light of the ghost shield surrounding the two half-ghosts.

"Wh-what do you mean 'they know'?" Vlad sighed heavily.

"I mean, Daniel, that the people of Amity Park know that we are half ghost, and they've decided to execute us. We're going to be burnt at the stake in an hour."

The tears that had been waiting to fall finally fell, running down his reddening face and dropping on the cold, hard floor.

"N-no. You're lying. That's what you do, you lie. They're not- they can't be. That's illegal- they can't- they can't just execute people!"  
>"It doesn't matter if it's illegal or not, Daniel. They're doing it and it's happening soon."<p>

"Bu-but my parents. Do they know this is happening?"

"The last time I checked, they were still trying to get in here to see you."

"How did they get you?" His voice quivered, tears still streaming down his face, blurring his eyesight.

"I was trying to rescue you." Danny hunched over and curled into a ball, shaking with the force of keeping his tears inside.

"Wh-why is this happening? Why?! I- I never did anything- I just- I was just trying to h-help!"

Vlad wrapped his long arms around the boy's trembling form, rubbing his back and whispering words of comfort into his ear.

"I-I don't want to die, Vlad! I h-haven't done anything yet! I was s-supposed to graduate high school a-a-nd go to college and be an-an astronaut and get m-married! I don't want to die! I never d-did anything wrong!"

A loud clang echoed from the bars at the front of the cell, making both captives look up. Mr. Grey stood, a grim look on his face, holding a pair of glowing handcuffs. "Ready to go?"

"Don't we have the right to a trial, or at least a last meal?" Vlad's smooth voice growled out.

Mr. Grey only laughed, "Those are human rights. You two messes of ectoplasm don't get shit, as far as rights go."

"We're half human! You can't do this to us!"

"Half is half and whole is whole. It doesn't matter if you're half human or not. You're still ghosts. Now let's go."

"And if we don't?" Vlad's tone turned defiant and determined to escape.

"I have the ability to electrify this ghost shield so everything inside gets fried. Would you rather die now, or see your 'loved ones' for the last time?"

Vlad faltered and he slowly looked back at Danny, keeping one eye on Mr. Grey. Danny was shaking from fear, pupils dilated, nostrils flaring. "Daniel?"

"I-I need to see them. I-I'm sorry, Vlad. I just n-need to see them again."

Vlad nodded, "Very well," he turned back to Mr. Grey, eyes cold and hard, " let's go."

-X-

They never actually brought them to see their loved ones. They just brought them straight to the park. The only reason Danny saw his parents again was because they were being held back by the crowds, stopping them from jumping in and rescuing the two.

"DANNY!"

"Please, let us go, that's our son!"

"It's going to be alright, Danny. It's gonna be ok!"

"LET ME GO!" Tears pricked at Danny's eyes when he heard his parents screams. He tried calling out to them, reaching for them, fingers outstretched, but he was jerked away and led into the center of the park. Danny and Vlad were hung from two tall posts, standing tall and imposing in the center of a mountain of old, rotting wood and kindling. The smell of gasoline wafted into their noses, making them choke and gag.

Lance Thunder, the weatherman, stood at a podium set up specifically for the occasion, microphone at the ready and blond hair slicked back into perfection.

"People of Amity Park! We stand here today to finally rid ourselves of the nuisances Danny Phantom and Vlad Plasmius! Also known as Danny Fenton and Vlad Masters!

They will be burned at the stake like the abhorrent monstrosities they are! Is there anyone who would like to advocate for them?"

The Fenton's cries were ignored and the group was silent. "Very well, is there anything you two would like to say?" He held the microphone over to Vlad, who glared at the thing then spat into it.

"You're about to kill an innocent child and a world famous billionaire. Our deaths won't go unnoticed. I hope you all get what's coming to you."

Thunder laughed and pulled the mic away from Vlad and spoke into it. "I think we're all gonna keep this little debacle a secret, right?" He glanced out at the crowd, smiling his wide, signature smile before he turned to Danny and shoved it into the boy's face. " And you?" Danny hesitated before he replied, eyes wide and terrified.

"I- I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone. I just- I just wanted to help. I wanted to stop the ghosts from hurting people and- I'm sorry I wasn't better at it." He looked up at his parents, their hands reaching out, trying to pull away from the people that held them back, and gave a shuddering sigh. "I'm sorry I wasn't a b-better son. I don't deserve you, I'm sorry."

He opened his mouth again, but Thunder decided otherwise and yelled into the mic as he stepped away from the pyres.

"Torches at the ready!" He scurried away from the podium and into the crowd. "GO!"

Fire was thrown onto the stacks of wood, igniting and spreading around in a matter of seconds.

Danny's parents screamed, straining against the cruel arms of the masses, reaching for their youngest child.

Danny and Vlad's lungs filled with fry smoke, making them hack and cough. The heat was unbearably hot, drying the tears cascading down Danny's face. Vlad fared better because of his hot core, but Danny fainted in minutes, screaming for someone, anyone, to please, please help him.

They were dead by 7:57 pm. Their corpses charred and burnt. Unrecognizable and distorted by the blackened skin that hung off of their bodies and the horrible smell of cooked meat that hung in the air like a raincloud.

-X-

The trudge back to consciousness was slow and painful for Danny. This time it hurt way less. No throbbing in his head, or loud noises, or bright lights. The world actually seemed to be too quiet. Nothing made any noise. No birds singing, no cars, not even wind. It felt to him like he was in a void.

The ground beneath him was cold and stiff. Grass poking through his clothes and tickling his skin.

He was about to get up when he heard two unfamiliar voices, one a thick, syrupy southern drawl, the other deep and gruff. He froze and shut his eyes, pretending that he was still asleep.

"What's this?" The gruff one asked.

"A kid." The southern one replied simply.

"What's a kid doing here?"

"What do you think?"

"What is he?"

"I-" the sound of sniffing reached Danny's ears, "I'm not sure. He's got a heartbeat, like you- so he's probably human, but he don't smell right."

"He's alive?"

"Yessir. Hey, kid. Wake up." Danny grunted when something hit his side, eyes flickering open and grimacing up at the man who kicked him.

"Wh-" Danny's gaze wandered over the two men, one unarmed, an old looking blue hat sitting on his smiling, unshaven face, he had the southern accent. The other had some sort of primitive claw- knife-thing and was wearing an aged leather jacket.  
>"Good mornin', sunshine. D'ya mind telling us what y'are."<p>

Danny hesitated before he answered "I- I'm not anything, what makes you say that? What? I'm human."

Both men smiled threateningly at him, the one in the leather jacket glanced over to the other one, who just shook his head. The man in the leather jacket's grin grew. "Well, then. Do you mind telling us how you got here? Because I spent a while trying to find a way in. And either you're not human, or you found a way in, so tell me, which is it?"

"I don't even know where here is! How am I supposed to know how I got here if I don't even know where I am?"

The man in the hat spoke up. "You're in Purgatory, kid. Monster Hell."

Danny went rigid. Monster hell. As in hell, but for monsters. Monsters like him. Monsters that got burned at the stake for even existing.

"Well, kid?" Leather Jacket pushed.

"I-I…" Danny buried his head in his hands, trying to keep more tears from falling out. "...th-they burned me. I n-never even did anything. I was protecting them, why- why couldn't they see that? Th-the ghosts were attacking and I did my best- I was never- never even in a fistfight before and they just- oh god, oh god they killed me- I'm- I'm actually dead- I'm all the way dead this time- oh god. Why? Why did they do this?" Danny curled in on himself, tears making the dirt beneath him turn to mud.

Maybe he really was a monster. He was in monster Hell. But he never did anything wrong, he was saving people, not stealing or hurting anyone! So why was he in Hell? Dan was the real monster. He was the one who deserved to be here, not Danny! Unless, just because he was half ghost, he was a monster. An abomination. A freak and Amity Park had reason to end him. They were just getting rid of vermin. Danny's eyes fell down to the ground and his shoulders slumped, shuddering with the sobs that racked his body.

Hat Guy turned to Leather Jacket and gave him a look. Leather Jacket only rolled his eyes and looked down at Danny. "So I take it that means you're not human."

Danny looked up, bloodshot eyes glaring up at Leather Jacket. "I'm half human."

"So, not completely human, apparently that's enough to get you in here. What's your other half?"

"Why do you need to know?" Danny's voice turned icy, his glower strengthening.

"Reasons, kid, don't make me cut you with this." He held up his blade in a threatening way and cocked his head.

"Half ghost." The men got confused looks on their faces.

"How does that even work? Ghosts are like-?"

"My parents are ghost hunters. They built a portal to the Ghost Zone in our basement, but it didn't work at first, so I went in and tried to fix it. Unfortunately, I did. It turned on while I was inside. After that, I woke up outside of the portal, but my hair was white and my eyes were green, all ghostly, y'know. A few months later, ghosts started coming in from the portal and attacking the town, so I tried to stop them. I mean, who's better at fighting ghosts than another ghost? But pretty much all of the people who lived there were really prejudiced against ghosts, and they couldn't accept that a ghost wanted to help them. I tried to keep the half ghost thing a secret. Not even my parents knew. But somehow, someone found out. I don't know how." He took a deep, shaking breath before he continued. " I just know that I was sitting at home, doing my homework when my house caught fire and I had to run outside. One of my schoolmates' parents caught me and my teacher chloroformed me. Then I woke up in a jail cell with a ghost shield around it. Vlad Masters was there and they tied us up to these poles and they just-" his voice cracked "-they just burnt us. I-I-"

"Hey, it's aight. You'll be fine. Who's this Vlad Masters that was with ye'?" Hat Guy knelt down and patted Danny's shoulder, looking up at Leather Jacket with a concerned look.

"He's half ghost too. He has been for 20 years. He-he was my parents friend."

"Geez, how many half ghosts are there? Can you prove it?" Leather Jacket asked.

"J-just two that we know of. " There was a thick pause before a brilliant white ring formed at his waist, splitting and travelling up his lithe body, transforming casual street clothes to tightly-fitting black spandex. Sad blue eyes turned into an angry, glowing green, and black hair turned whiter than snow. Danny looked up when the change was over and asked " What are your names again?"

"I'm Benny, this is Dean. Who're you?" Hat Guy- now Benny, motioned towards Leather Jacket- Dean.

"Danny, Danny Fenton. Also, Danny Phantom." Dean's face lit up with recognition.

"Fenton, as in Fentonworks, Maddie and Jack Fenton?" Danny gave Dean a curious look.

"Yeah… They're my parents."

"Oh...OH! You're Danny! It's nice to meet you. I've worked with your parents."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it was a haunting in Denver."

"When was this?"

"Just a few years ago."

"I-I think I remember that. They left for a few weeks. Jazz nearly killed us with her cooking." Dean chuckled, but stopped when Danny asked; "So, why are you in 'monster Hell'?"  
>"There was an… incident… I never died, I was sucked through a portal with a buddy of mine. We're gonna find him before we get out of here."<p>

"There's a way out?" Danny perked up at the news, standing up straight.

"Since I'm human, and still alive, yeah. But we have to find Cas first. We got split up. Didn't you say you came with someone too."

"Yeah. Vlad. Can we look for him too?" Benny decided now was a good time to butt in.

"Woah, woah. Who said you were comin' with? We're already lookin' for an angel, now we need to look for a ghost too?"

Danny frowned at Benny and opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by Dean. "If we catch his trail on the way, we're following it. If we don't, we don't. End of discussion."  
>"But, Dean, at this rate we-"<br>"End of discussion, Benny." Benny nodded and backed off.

"Wh- we can't just leave him here! The only reason he was caught was because he tried to save me. Sure, he was an asshole and he hit on my mom too much, but he's the only other half ghost out there. I-" There was a cracking noise that echoed through the gray forest, effectively cutting Danny off and setting both Dean and Benny on edge.

"What's-"  
>"Shh!" Dean held up a hand and raised his blade, crouching into a fighting position. Benny opened his mouth, jagged fangs sprouting from his gums. Danny's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Before he could ask what on earth was happening, a person came rushing out from behind a bush, yelling curses at the group.<p>

His mouth was oozing a thick, black substance and his face melted into a worm-looking thing, sharp teeth jutting out from the too-big slavering maw. He roared, an angry hissing noise that chilled Danny to the core.

Dean dashed forward, slicing and cutting at the thing before it could get close. Before Danny knew it, the creature's head was rolling towards him, black blood spewing from its neck and coating the ground with a layer of slime.

"Wh-what was that?!"

"Leviathan." Benny spat. "There's a reason to want to get out. This place is crawlin' with 'em and a load of other nasty things out to kill ye'."

"What?" Danny's eyes were wide with confusion and horror.

"Werewolves, vampires, leviathans, you name it, it's here, and it's out to get us."

"S-so, those things all exist?" Dean gave him a curious look and tilted his head.

"Your parents are hunters, and you don't know that they exist?"

"They only hunt ghosts!" Dean grunted and glanced around the forest.  
>"There could be more hanging around. We should get going." And with that, he stalked off into the brushes, Danny and Benny trailing behind him.<p>

"So what are you?" Danny looked up at Benny, whose fangs had been retracted, and only yellowing, flat human teeth were left behind.

Benny only chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Well, yeah. I mean you grew fangs back there and-?"

"I'm a vampire." Benny smiled at Danny, showing off his fangs once again.

"Woah. Like Edward or something?"

"Who's Edward?"

"It's-ah. Never mind, you'll probably find out when we get outta here." Benny's lips quirked upward, smirking at Danny.

"You're a weird kid, you know that?"  
>"What, being half dead didn't tip you off?" Danny smiled, his tears dry on his cheeks, the stains left behind oddly pale in the gray light. Benny laughed and ruffled his hair.<p>

-X-

"Where's the Angel?" Dean growled into the face of a vampire, knife pressed up against it's neck, ready to behead it.

"Lake-" the rest of the response was cut off by Dean's blade. The head wobbled off of the body and bounced away.

"You could've let him finish his sentence, Dean." Danny, in ghost form, hovered over the gory scene, frowning down at him.

"He said 'lake'. We've only passed one river the entire time we've been walking and I know exactly where it is."

"So I take it that's where we're headin'?" Dean only gave Benny a grunt of approval before he turned west and strode off, flicking the black slime off his weapon.

Benny shrugged and trailed after him, Danny gliding along above them, looking out for any threats.

-X-

They followed a small path, worn into the colorless ground by countless others traveling the same way. The forest was endless, as far as Danny could see, there was no prairie or plains, just tree after tree.

Something limping along the ground a few miles away caught Danny's eye. Black hair, blue skin, white cape. Vlad.

Danny's eyes widened and he dropped like a rock back to the earth.

"I found him. I found Vlad." Dean jumped at the sudden voice, whirling around and raising his knife, ready to strike.

"He's just over that way a little. Please, we have to get him."

"How far away?"

"Just a few miles, I can fly there and get him if you want to keep going." Dean glanced over at Benny, who shrugged and looked up at Danny.

"If we don't see you, we'll wait at the lake. We're pretty close I think. Maybe just another day's walk."

"Alright. See you." And with that, he flew off.

-X-

He soared above the canopy of the dismal gray trees, the wind whipping his hair around his face. Vlad's trail was long and faltering. Vlad himself was moving slow, seemingly injured.

"Vlad!"

Vlad froze, his black hair drooping around his shoulders, having lost the horned shape they once held. He slowly raised his head towards the direction of the call, hope filling his watery, garnet colored eyes. His voice cracked with thirst and disuse. "D-an-el?"

Danny landed with a thud and dashed up to Vlad, wrapping his thin arms around the man in a strong hug. "I thought I wouldn't be able to find you. Dean thought you might already be dead, but Benny thought you might still be alive, even though he didn't really want to look for you and- oh! Are you hurt? You were moving really slow when I looked, are you ok? We can catch up to the others and Dean can help you. He's good with bandages and stuff. They're on their way to the lake right now, we're looking for an angel named Castiel. We were looking for you too, but Benny didn't really want to and-"

Danny was cut off by Vlad's had coming up and covering his mouth. Vlad gulped, trying to moisten his mouth and throat, then spoke.

"It's good to see you too, Daniel. Who are Benny and Dean?" Vlad cocked his head and stared at the boy, curious.

"They're these guys I ran into. Dean is human and Benny is a vampire. Dean has a way to get us out of here."

"So all these things here- they're-"

"Monsters, yeah. It's called Purgatory. It's where all the dead monsters go." Vlad nodded, looking down, his face dejected.

"And you're looking for-?"

"An angel. His name is Castiel. He wears a trenchcoat." Danny smiled a little, trying and failing to cheer the man up.

"You have a way out of here?"

"Yeah. There's a portal out of here in the mountains. Only humans can go through it. We should be able to if we're in our human forms. But we have to find Castiel first."

"How far is the lake?"

"Not too far. Maybe a day's walk and only a few hours if we fly."

"I-I can't fly. I haven't eaten anything in a few days and the last time I had water was 3 days ago. I don't have enough energy." Vlad's eyes shifted down to the ground. He felt like a burden already and they hadn't even left yet.

"Why didn't you say so?!" Danny reached around his back and pulled out a small leather sack.

"I've got a little bit of water and jerky in here. Don't eat too much jerky though, we only have so much and I don't want you getting sick."

Vlad nodded and took the bag graciously. He chugged down the water and devoured a few pieces of the jerky. Feeling refreshed, he stood up straight and smiled weakly at Danny, wiping his face off with his sleeve. "Thank you."

"No problem. Can you fly yet or do you want me to carry you?" Vlad replied with only a flat look.

"Right. This way." Danny started off in the direction of the lake, his footsteps were light and soundless. He'd learned to make as little noise as possible, otherwise he'd have to fight for his life against a leviathan or something equally unpleasant.

Vlad blundered through the forest, twigs snapping underneath his feet, his breathing loud and rasping.

Suddenly, Danny stopped, his ears picking up a faint noise coming from their right. Vlad stumbled to a stop beside him, opening his mouth to ask why. Danny silenced him with a swift hand motion and his head turned, ever so slowly to the right.

Beady black eyes and vicious yellow teeth met his eyes. It's breath smelled like a burnt corpse, blackened and rancid. Its eyes narrowed and a low, thrumming growl slithered past it's snarling teeth, echoing through the forest and sending shivers down both half ghost's spines.

Danny lunged, charging an ectoblast in his hand and shooting it off, smacking the thing in the face with it, sending the beast flying.

It landed with a grunt, shakily lifting itself, snarling and flashing it's fangs and charging at Danny, clawed paws scraping the ground and launching it forward like a rocket.

Danny was ready. He charged up two more ectoblasts, sending them straight into the creature's chest and stalling its assault. Danny took to the air, readying his cold core to freeze the thing where it stood, hissing and spitting.

It was quick. The beast was frozen to the spot within seconds. It would take hours to thaw out, and by that time, it would've suffocated or died of hypothermia.

Danny turned to Vlad, checking to make sure he was okay. He smirked and nodded when he saw Vlad's dumbstruck face.

"Where did you learn that?"

"I've been traveling with a monster hunter and a vampire for the past ten months. Where do you think? I'm surprised you're still so loud."  
>"I flew most of the time. The only reason I came down is because I was attacked. I flew too low and something jumped me. It put up a good fight, but I got the better of it."<p>

"How'd you eat and drink and stuff?"

"I hunted from the air. Swooped down and grabbed whatever I could." Danny nodded and started back towards the lake.

The two talked about their time in Purgatory. Vlad's uneventful life in the sky, Danny's misadventures with Benny and Dean.

By sundown, they reached the lake, Benny and Dean and an unknown, scruffy looking man in a trenchcoat were sitting around a small campfire, making conversation.  
>"Hey guys." Danny saluted as he stepped out of the brush, followed by Vlad. Dean leapt up and readied himself for a fight at the sudden words, knife ready and posed to decapitate anything. Benny's fangs made themselves known and he growled, low and guttural, a warning.<p>

They both relaxed when they saw Danny's familiar glowing form, but their eyes narrowed and settled on Vlad, Dean shifting his grip on his blade.

"You're Vlad?" Dean's husky voice ground out.

"Yes. And you are-?"

"Dean. This here's Benny. And that's Cas." Benny nodded at Vlad and Castiel waved. Vlad raised his chin in greeting to the three.

"Nice to finally meet you Cas, I'm Danny." Castiel's eyes sparked with recognition and he responded in a deep, rich sounding voice.  
>"Ah, the cursed child. It's nice to meet you too." Danny's eyebrows creased and he tilted his head in confusion.<p>

"Cursed? What do you mean?"

"You are half ghost, are you not? Forced to walk the line of death. Neither belonging to the worlds of the dead, nor the living."

"Wh-well, I suppose, but-" Danny was cut off by Dean.

"We head for the mountains tomorrow. I'll take first watch. Then Benny, Cas, Vlad, and Danny."  
>"You never wake me up for my shift. I'm taking first watch." Danny protested.<p>

"No. You're not." Benny shook his head, rejecting the idea outright. Danny humphed and sat back on his haunches.

"Fine. But wake me up this time, will you?"

"Sure." Danny glared at Benny before he laid down on the ground, his eyes slowly drifting shut. It wasn't long before his breathing had evened out, showing his state of deep sleep.

"You never wake him up for his shift?" Vlad asked. Dean shook his head.

"Kid's gotta sleep. He needs it more than I do." Vlad smiled softly at the man before he himself stretched out and fell asleep, Benny following not soon after.

-X-

They trudged up the rocky terrain. Every so often a rock shifted under their feet, sending them sliding down towards the steep hill to the bottom. Danny and Vlad flew above, catching whoever fell and watching out for threats.

The wind eventually picked up, making their eyes water with the frigid air and dust blowing in their faces.

"I think I see it!" Dean called, gripping the arm he'd sealed Benny in just hours before.

Way up on a ridge was the most colorful thing any of them had seen in a year.

A portal, edged with blue, wind whipping around it. At the very center of the portal, a splash of green leaves and brown bark sat, shining like a beacon, contrasting against the ever-present dull gray of Purgatory. It was like a drink of cold water on a hot day. None of them knew how much they missed color before they were finally shown it. After a year of having nothing more colorful than blood to look at, everyone was eager to get out of Purgatory. The sight of the small splash of vibrant color made them climb faster.

Panting by the time they reached the top of the ridge, they sprinted towards the portal, unwilling to let it close even a second before they got through.

Leviathans ran out from the shadows of the trees, dozens of them, teeth gnashing together, sending spit flying with the wind, black blood congealing at the corners of their mouths from when they'd eaten their own kind.

The group fought off as many as they could, Dean swinging his blade left and right, decapitating all the leviathans he could, Vlad shooting ectoblasts, Danny freezing them where they stood.

Vlad was the first one through the portal, followed quickly by Danny. Dean waited for Castiel, trying to pull him through, but Cas let go- he couldn't hold on when the portal started to close.

He was abandoned in Purgatory.

-X-

Dean, Vlad and Danny had split ways when they got out of the 100-mile Wilderness. Dean went south, to find Benny's body. Vlad and Danny went west to find Danny's parents and Vlad's Wisconsin mansion. They exchanged phone numbers and email addresses before they left each other.

Danny traveled with Vlad, who had been saving his wallet in his pocket in human form for a whole year. It was still full of bills and cards, ready to use. They bought plane tickets to Wisconsin and stayed at Vlad's mansion for a week.

Vlad drove Danny back to Amity Park to find his parents and friends.

-X-

The car rumbled invisibly up the Fenton's narrow drive, pulling to a stop just behind the Ghost Assault Vehicle. Danny hopped out of the car and stared up at his home, long since repaired from the fire that had started in the living room. Gulping, he took slow steps forward, counting the seconds until he got to the stoop.

He knocked on the door and waited, wringing his wrists and mulling over what he would say over, and over again.

It was when he lost his nerve and started turning away when the door finally opened, revealing his mother.

The short, spunky redheaded woman was dressed in her robe, her hair unkempt and messy. Her violet eyes were wide with the shock of seeing her only son for the first time in a year.

"Danny?"

The word was barely a whisper, but it was enough to make Danny break. He fell into his mother's arms, tears leaking down his face.

"Mom!" The woman didn't know what to do. She carefully wrapped her arms around the crying child, mouth hanging open slightly, her eyes blinking owlishly. She backed into the house, leading them both inside and shutting the door behind them.

"Wh-Danny, what happened to you?"

"Af-after they burned me I- I went to this place, Purgatory, it's-it's where nonhumans go when they d- die, but I met this guy there a- and he helped me find a way out and I'm back now, Mom, I'm back."

"You-you're still you? I mean, you're still- a- a ghost?" Maddie's voice cracked and she held her son close, rocking him slowly back and forth.

"Yeah, I'm still half ghost." Danny's fingers dug into his mother's robe, never wanting to be away from her again.

Maddie froze at the news. "You died, Danny. You died."  
>"I know, Mom. I'm sorry I didn't tell you-"<p>

"You should've told us Danny, we could've helped you, we could've cured you!" Maddie sobbed into her son's shoulder.

"Mom, I- I'm happy the way I am. I don't need to be cured." He pushed her away, hurt and confused, his cheeks stained with tears.

"Danny, they killed you! They killed you because of it! They wouldn't even let us bury you in the cemetery. We- we have a family lot and they w- wouldn't let us-! We couldn't bury you anywhere, nobody would cremate you. We couldn't travel anywhere with your b-body, we just- we had to bury you in a ditch outside of town. They wouldn't let us go anywhere, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Maddie buried her face in her hands, weeping.

Danny could only stand there, stock still. They burned him at the stake and threw him in a ditch when all he'd done was try and protect them. He sacrificed countless hours for them, hours that could be spent studying, or hanging out with his friends, having a normal teenage life. But no, he chose to save them, to spend every waking, and sleeping hour to make sure that they were safe and unhurt. And the only thanks he got was a stint in Purgatory after being burned at the stake and buried in a ditch.

Was he such a freak, such a monster that they couldn't even stand for him to be buried with them, with his own family? He'd never done anything wrong! He couldn't help the way he was, he even embraced it! He liked helping people and he liked keeping them safe! Why couldn't they just accept him? Was being half ghost really so revolting that they didn't even grant him his human rights when they killed him like some animal?

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Danny turned away from Maddie, eyes shining with unshed tears, and marched out of the house, ignoring her calls.

He couldn't live there anymore. He couldn't live with someone who thought he needed to be cured. He needed out. He needed to be pure. Purgatory was more pure than this hellhole of a world.

He marched back into Vlad's car, slumping in his seat and covering his face with his hands.

"Daniel?"

"Just drive."

Vlad's gaze lifted from the boy and moved to the house. Red bricks, clear windows, bright, happy yellow lights illuminating the inside. A woman, red hair matching her red face stood in the doorway, staring straight at him, her mouth parted mid-sob.

His eyes flicked from her to Danny, confusion painting his face. He mimed a phone, telling her to call him so they could talk, and drove away, back to his mansion.

A few hours later, he had to break the cold, dead silence that had settled over them.  
>"Daniel, what happened?" There was a pregnant pause before he finally answered.<p>

"They wouldn't let us be buried anywhere. They wouldn't even cremate us. They just- they threw us in a ditch. And Mom thinks we need to be cured and-" he was cut short by his own cry.

Vlad pulled the car over and hugged the boy, rubbing his back, trying as hard as he could to make the teen feel better. He'd spent a year in what could be considered Hell. They both had. Daniel was only fifteen, he'd had one birthday in some twisted pocket dimension. He was fourteen when he went in, and fifteen when he came out and he never even knew it. There was no time in Purgatory, only monsters out to kill you.

Monsters that, apparently, don't even deserve a proper burial.

The worst criminals in history have gotten buried in cemeteries.

Jeffrey Dahmer, convicted of cannibalism and serial murder, was killed by another inmate and buried properly.

Ted Bundy, another convicted serial killer was put to death, and buried properly.

The most Vlad had ever done was overshadow a few important people and ensure his business success.

The boy hadn't even done anything wrong of his own will, save for a few childish pranks.

Neither of them deserved what they got.

Maybe they should be cured.


End file.
